Higher Learning 101 - Not Safe At School
Between half-assed school facilities and sub-par teaching materials, school budget cuts and the lies about using the "gambling lottery" to supplement schools, disgruntled and over-worked teachers, the completely worthless and pointless Leave No Child Behind legislation, the American K-12 educational system is a complete and total mess. Adding insult to injury is the simple fact that children at not safe in school, period!
Case in point is yesterday's school shooting in Memphis, Tennessee. The truth of the matter in this case is that the school got lucky. The shooter was focused on one particular person, but had the opportunity to purposely or accidentally hurt others. Between the Jena 6 case and the on-campus shooting at Delaware State University this past September, getting an education has become a dangerous venture.
This is my number one political issue. Education in the United States is in full blown crisis mode, particularly for black folks. We should be out in the streets protesting about the sorry state of education in the black community. Black people have entire school systems in some cities that are completely failing in every possible way black students. Some black students in some cities are receiving virtually worthless high school diplomas because they have only completed the minimum requirements for a high school diploma, but nothing that will get them a decent job or a shot at a junior college education.
Black folks really need to jump on this issue before too many generations of black students get left behind. I strongly believe that we already have lost at least one generation of black students in terms of education. We are strongly at risk of losing a second generation. This is the new civil rights movement here for black folks. This one is on us, not white folks. We have had a solid hand in our own educational demise and it is our responsibility to fix it!
